Yemi Alade continues in her quest for domination and supremacy as the queen of Afropop with another massive hit single featuring American Rap superstar Rick Ross. Once again Yemi sets another record as the first female Afropop artist to get over 1 million youtube views in 24 hours. This is in addition to the fact that she is the first female afropop artist to hit over 100 million youtube views for her hit single 'Johnny'. With her youtube channel boasting over a million subscribers and over 7 million followers on instagram Yemi has again thrown down the gauntlet to her bitter arch rival Tiwa Savage over who has the right to wear the crown as the Queen Of Afropop and its looking like that is a debate which will continue for sometime. Watch out for Yemi's forthcoming album 'Woman Of Steel' due to be released later this year
Tiwa Savage one of the most popular female Afropop singers in Nigeria who has been referred to by many of her fans as Africa's answer to Beyonce recently dumped her mentor Don Jazzy and his Mavin records label to become the latest Afropop superstar to sign a deal with a major record label. She follows on in the footsteps of Wizkid, Davido and Tekno who have also signed deals with international record labels. These developments have lead many fans out there to wonder if this is the beginning of the end of Afropop as we know it.
The big question is that as the major international Labels step in to take “Control” will the genre be watered down and lose its roots. and how long will it be before its gets the Vanilla ice or Taylor Swift treatment - no disrespect to Taylor Swift I think she a great singer songwriter but the key question is that in the next 5 years will the top Afropop artistes be black or white.
They say the best way to defeat your competition is to buy it!!
Afropop is essentially a “Made In Africa by Africans “product and its rise and rise as a global brand is not because white people in Europe and the U.S.A woke up one day and decided they liked it
But just as rap and hiphop in the 70s and 80s rose up from the streets of urban America championed by afro America youths
Afropop has been championed by its massive fan base in the major cities across Africa from Johannesburg,and Nairobi to Lagos and Accra. Furthermore its been pushed to the limelight on the international stage because of the so called African Diaspora ie thousands of loyal African fans in big cities like London, New York and Amsterdam.
So will the Major labels help strengthen Afrobeats and extend it global reach or is this the beginning of it’s appropriation and exploitation
Will Tiwa Savage regret this move in a few years times or is just a natural progression for her with Major Labels about take her career to another level.
And do major labels ever benefit their stars in the long run or do they just exploit them as alleged by some of the biggest stars for example the likes of Ice Cube, Dr Dre, Drake, the late Prince Michael Jackson as well as George Micheal.
What do you think Are the Major records label good or bad for Afrobeats
Please feel free to join the debate and leave your your comments below.
It very much looks like the ongoing saga of R.Kelly's woes are set to continue and will not be going away any time soon as he once again faces jail time for non payment of child support for the last 2 months an issue that's already led him to spend time in a cell some weeks ago. At the time R.Kelly was only released after an unidentified friend paid the outstanding amount of $161,000.33 on his behalf however since then R.Kelly has allegedly failed to make a single payment to ex wife Andrea who should receive $20,000 per month for child support.
As a result its very likely that the R&B singer who is still trying to fight charges of sex abuse will most likely be arrested again and locked up soon for this separate offence. As they say in my part of the world "when it rains it pours" it seems R.Kelly is facing a storm of gigantic proportions. So is this just another case of a famous black male about to be taken down aka Bill Cosby, James Brown, Michael Jackson etc (Well Michael was once black!!) or have they brought it on themselves and deserve the punishment As the late great Fela Kuti once sang when "When Trouble Sleep Yanga Go Wake Am Wetin He Day Find.. Palavar He Go Get" Please leave your views and comments below thanks for visiting my blog and God bless
Forget Femi Kuti or Seun Kuti many say the new heir apparent to the late great afrobeat genius Fela Kuti is Burna Boy, no doubt there is a distinct similarity of vocal style and content with Burna boy frequently commenting on Nigerian societal themes such as corruption and injustice in his songs and also going as far as to sample beats from "Sorrow Tears and Blood" one of Fela's most popular hits. The new track killin Dem feat Zlatan X is a mix of his self proclaimed Afrofusion beats and Zlatan's shaku shaku street vibe its another hot banger which will definitely thrill his fans as embarks on his sold out African Giant Tour.
Burna Boy Blows Up Social Media With News He's Dating Sefflon Don Burna Boy recently blew up the internet when he laid claim to UK rapper Stefflon Don by posting that video which showed her in his bed sleeping on his chest Steff then went on to the confirm the relationship by posting on her instagram that she's got a new 'Bae' whatever that means.
But before we get too excited she also said he never hit yet!! - aka she never seen his banana or start to chop jollof rice becos Burna Boy never enter Jerusalem he still dey at the gate. So I suppose we will have to wait and see how this one goes or how long it lasts and if its for real considering the fact that she been romantically linked with UK Rap Artist Fekky, Tory Lanez and yer boy Drizzy Drake over the past year. They have however gone on to spend a romantic Valentines day with Burna Boy booking a Mexican style mariachi band to serenade Stef and also showering her apartment with a dozen roses The Ye star also sent her several romantic cards and wrote on one 'I promise to never ever hurt you' an obvious pun on her hit single 'Hurtin Me' So maybe this time the romance is for real. And Finally is Burna Boy the new king of Afropop ? has he done enough to unseat WizKid and Davido Who is your favourite afropop artiste right now, please feel free to post your views in the comments section below.
The upcoming Nigerian 2019 election is shaping up to be a big tussle between the front runners of the 2 main political parties APC and PDP, on one side you have the incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari and on the other side Atiku Abubakar.
Despite the fact that the political landscape is cramped with a number of other contenders such as
Donald Duke -Former Governor Cross River State
Omoyele Sowore - Publisher Sahara News
Fela Durotoye - Political Party Alliance For Nigeria
Oby Ezekwesili -Former Federal Minister
Bukola Saraki - Senate President
Sule Lamido - Former Governor Jigwa
Chike Ukaegbu - Founder of Startup 52
Remi Sonaiya - A Former University Lecturer
Rabiu Kwakanso - Former Governor of Kano State
Omoyele Sowore
There is no doubt some of these contenders such as Sowore in particular have gained a lot of traction and popularity and increasingly seem to be advocating fresh radical ideas and solutions to the problems of Nigeria, however the nature and structure of Nigeria's political landscape means that the chances of any of them causing a political upset and beating the 2 two from runners Buhari and Atiku is very unlikely due the sheer financial clout and massive political machinery of the main political parties PDP and APC.
Recyling The Old Guard
So once again it seems we are about to recycle the old guard Buhari is now over 75 years old was a former military head of state back in 1983, was elected again as President in 2015 after riding on a popular anti-corruption wave to beat the then incumbent Goodluck Jonathan while Atiku is also over 71 years served 2 terms as vice president in 1998 to former president Olusegun Obasanjo and then unsuccessfully run for the presidency in 2007 but lost the election to the late Umaru Yar Adua.
What are the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the 2 contenders.
Atiku Abubakar
The Astute Businessman
Atiku is from the fulani elite of the North Western Adamawa State where he has a strong following while Buhari also a fulani is from Katsina state in the North East this means Atiku is likely to split Buhari's ethnic Northern power base.
His choice of Peter Obi as running mate and his popularity and reputation as an astute businessman with a working knowledge of how the country's economy works, he once headed the country's economic management team under the Obasanjo government means that he should also do well in the S South and S East where the PDP is the party of choice.
He is also likely to pick up votes in the S.West where Buhari may have made made inroads in the last election but many are now disappointed in his performance especially with regard to the economy which at the best has been sluggish since he took power and his failure to crackdown on the violent activities of Fulani herdsmen in some parts of the country.
Atiku is reputed to be a very rich man and definitely has the financial the resources and political machinery to match Buhari having grasped the PDP presidential ticket, he is an experienced politician having served in the Obasanjo government for eight years and has business interest's all over Nigeria. While Buhari has never been able to shed the tag of intolerance, religious bias and tribalism which has dogged the country for such a long time with many of his detractors seeing him as little more than a glorified cattle rearer, unsophisticated and ill at ease in public with a tendency to making embarrassing statements when posed with in-depth questions by the media.
Atiku will not have this problem he is a smooth consummate politican with great ability to reach out to most sectors of the ethnic divide that is Nigeria.
Atiku is also slighly younger than Buhari and more importantly has not been dogged by issues with regard to his health (at least not to our knowledge) Buhari has faced rumours regarding his well being since the start of his tenure which just will not go away, he spent over 3 months receiving treatment out of the country in Saudi Arabia and more recently there have been stories circulating of his demise and replacement by a clone lookalike or body double in ASO Rock - this story may sound far fetched and more of a 'Fake News' campaign but many believe it and it's another potential nail to Buhari's proverbial political coffin's which can only help to embolden his detractors and favour Atiku's cause.
So on paper at least you could say that Atiku is in a very strong position to cause an upset and unseat an incumbent president once again, however he does have a number of weak points which could still put the brakes on his political ambition.
Integrity and credibility:
He is very much part of the old guard of politicians who have been at the helm of the countries affairs for the past 30 years who many see as having nothing new to offer.
After having cross carpeted from APC to PDP he is surrounding by the same crop of "business as usual politicians" whose only ideology seems to be to move from one party to another in a bid to further their own political ambitions and selfish agendas.
Olusegun Obasanjo
Corruption:
A damming assessment by his former Boss Olusegun Obasanjo who wrote him off as greedy, untrustworthy, corrupt and over ambitious has stuck to him like mud on a rainy day despite the fact the the two of them recently patched up their differences and he has now received a ringing endorsement from Obasanjo who also advised Buhari not to run for a second term.
Voter Apathy:
Same sh**t different tins!! many voters out there especially the younger generation do not see much difference between Buhari and Atiku and would prefer that they both step aside to allow someone much younger with fresh ideas to be given the chance these voters will probably not vote for either of them.
Muhammadu Buhari
Glorified Cattle rearer or Anti Corruption Crusader:
Despite Buhuri's perceived shortcomings which I have already mentioned and disappointment by huge swathes of the electorate who believe that he has failed to live up to expectations or deliver on his promises of CHANGE and a better life for Nigerians, there are still many voters out there who believe that he has done enough to deserve a second term, there is no doubt that he has at least made some kind of efforts to curtail corruption in the country with a number of high profile cases being prosecuted by the EFCC.
He has can also boast that he has been able to downgrade the capabilities and activities of that dreaded terrorist sect Boko Harem who seemed to be almost able operate with impunity during the tenure of his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan. However the battle is far from won against Boko Harem who are still active and able to carry out attacks in the North East and most recently the country is again beginning to experience an upsurge in their activities with our soldiers once again complaining about being outgunned and lack of adequate weapons.
In addition other security problems are still very evident with far too many incidents of ethnic and communal violence across the the country during Buhari's tenure especially with regard to the Fulani herdsmen.
So why do some voters still seem to have faith in him I believe it's a case of "better the devil you know". Despite his shortcomings and failures Buhari still has an image of honesty and integrity which is almost impossible to find amongst other politicians many still blame the alleged cabal around him for his failures rather than him and believe that he can still bring some kind of positive change to the country if given enough time - ie we may be feeling the pain now in order the reap the benefits later, more importantly many still do not trust Atiku and see him as an opportunist out to loot the country once again - in such a context Buhari is still seen as the better of two bad choices.
Buhari also has one major trump card - he is the incumbent which means he has full control of the country's resources financial, legislative, military, the police and judiciary with the authority to sway things his way which in Africa speak usually means rigging the election results in areas that suit him.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu
So back to the big question, who should we put money on? your guess is a good as mine Atiku looks good on paper but nothing is guaranteed I suspect big players like APC Chieftain Bola Ahmed Tinubu will have a big role to play on what happens in Lagos and the S.West will he like Obasanjo switch sides and endorse Atiku or stick with Buhari?.
Nnamdi Kanu
The sudden re- appearance of Biafra Frontman Nnamdi Kanu on the scene and how both Atiku and Buhari react and respond to him may also have a strong influence on the S.South and S.East vote. I would also think Buhari's actions and may I say utterances over the next few months leading up to the election will be crucial in determining whether he can claw back some of his lost goodwill with the Nigerian electorate - and he now needs to prove that he is actually still alive!!.
So all said and done the clock is ticking and the countdown to March 2019 has started in earnest what is almost certain is that it's going to be another bumpy ride for Nigeria.
Afropop meets Grime as Wizkid Joins forces with UK Grime Supremo Skepta 'Boy Better Know' to drop the massive hit track -its a dope track with great visuals video produced and shot in Lagos Nigeria.
Skepta whose real name is Joseph Junior Adenuga is a British born Nigerian who grew up on a council estate in Tottenham London and It seems entertainment runs in his family, his brother is a famous rapper called JME while his sister Julie is a well known Radio presenter. Skepta started his career as a DJ with grime crews 'Meridan Crew and Roll Deep' back back in 2003, after the Meridan Crew split up he went on to set up his own record label - "Boy Better Know'' with his brother JME in 2006.
He went on to gain recognition on the grime scene with a number big hits including Rolex Sweep, Too Many Man,That's Not Me and the track Shut Down which was a massive hit receiving lots of airplay on radio and in the clubs. In 2016 he won the Mercury Music Award for his album -'Konnichiwa' In The same year he was blocked from flying to the United States after his visa was refused but was able to tour the U.S a year later in 2017. Along with the Mercury Prize he has won several other awards including 2 MOBOS, An NME award and the BET award for Best International Act.
Love Life:
In March 2018 after several months of speculation he confirmed he was in a relationship with supermodel Naomi Campbell they posed naked on the cover of GQ for an interview titled When 'Naomi met Skepta - Race Sex Love & Power'.
Net-worth:He is currently estimated to be worth over $5 Million.
Wizkid
CEO of StarBoy Music record label and one of the most recognisable faces of Afropop he is based in Nigeria and rose to fame in 2010 after working with established afropop acts such as OJB Jezreel, Naeto C, and Banky W. His first studio album 'Superstar' was a break through hit which earned him international fame and he has remained a household name ever since some of his biggest hit singles to date have been 'Ojuelegba, Don't Dull' Soco, Pakuro Mo, Come Closer and Malo - Tiwa Savage. Wizkid has featured on several high profile collaborations the most well known to date being international rapper Drake's massive tracks 'One Dance and Come Closer', he has also collaborated with Chris Brown -'African Bad Gyal', One Direction -'Darling Dave' and most recently on this new hit track 'Energy' with Skepta.
He has also featured on songs with many of Nigeria's top Afropop Artists such as Tiwa Savage, Olamide and Kiss Daniel.
In 2018 Wizkid held a sold out concert at the 20,000 London 02 Arena this was following on from a sold out concert at the London Royal Albert Hall in September 2017. He is reported to have signed major record deals with RCA and Sony Music and has signed deals with MTN, GLO Pepsi and Guinness in excess of $6 million.
Wizkid currently has an estimated net worth that stands at $14 Million.
So there you have lt and it looks like Wizkid's got the most $$$ in his Bank account at the moment, as for which is them is the most famous? that's hard to tell because despite this collaboration and the obvious Naija connection they cater to different music genres i.e Wizkid -Afropop and Skepta - Rap and Grime. I would however guess Wizkid has a bigger fan base because he is known all over Africa especially in his home country -Nigeria and is also very popular amongst the African disapora in the UK, USA and Europe, while Skepta's following is confined mainly to the UK's inner city and urban areas of the biggest cities such as London, Manchester and Birmingham where Grime music is very popular. Links:
Wizkid and Davido are arguably two of the most well known and recognised faces of Afropop or Afrobeats as some like to call it, they are right at the forefront of the genre's rapid rise to global recognition on the world music scene. Both of them have had some of the biggest international stars of R&B, Rap and Pop beat a path to their doors to work on collaborations.
Wizkid is the CEO of StarBoy Music record label he rose to fame in 2010 after working with established acts such as OJB Jezreel, Naeto C, and Banky W. His first studio album 'Superstar' was an international hit and he has remained a household name ever since some of his biggest hit singles to date have been 'Ojuelegba, Don't Dull' Soco, Pakuro Mo, Come Closer and Malo - Tiwa Savage. Wizkid has featured on several high profile collaborations the most well known to date being international rapper Drake's massive tracks 'One Dance and Come Closer', he has also collaborated with Chris Brown -'African Bad Gyal', One Direction -'Darling Dave' and most recently featured on the new hit track 'Energy' from the top UK grime artist Skepta.
He has also featured on songs with many of Nigeria's top Afropop Artists such as Tiwa Savage, Olamide and Kiss Daniel.
In 2018 Wizkid held a sold out concert at the 20,000 London 02 Arena this was following on from a sold out concert at the London Royal Albert Hall in September 2017. He is reported to have signed a major record deal with RCA and Sony Music and has signed deals with MTN, GLO Pepsi and Guinness in excess of $6 million dollars and has several investments to his name.
Wizkid currently has an estimated net worth that stands at $14 Million.
Davido also owns his own label HKN Music which he runs with his elder brother Adewale Adeleke, unlike Wizkid whose story is a classic rise from rags to riches. Davido was born with a silver spoon into an extremely wealthy family, his father Dr Adeleke is a well known Nigerian multi millionaire and philanthrophist. That said the Dami Duro singer who regularly calls himself Omo Baba Olowo - i.e son of a rich dad has worked extremely hard to push his career.
Born in Atlanta USA he developed an interest in music while at University and later relocated to Nigeria where he studied music production at Babcock University his first break came when he released the single 'Bank When' in 2011 which received some attention on the local club scene.
He followed on in 2012 with his debut Album 'Omo Baba Olowo' the album was a massive success and propelled him to international fame it featured the track 'Dami Duro' which racked up millions of views on Youtube. Since then he has followed on with a string massive hits such as If, Gobe, FIA, Aye, Fall and Assurance which have collectively racked up over 100 million views on Youtube, made him a multi award winner and cemented his popularity as one of the most well known afropop names. He has released hit tracks with top U.S Stars such as Meek Mill - 'Fans', Future,Young Thug & Migos - 'Versace', R&B star R.Kelly - 'If' Tinashe - 'How Long' and Akon - 'Die For You', as well as many Nigerian and African international Afropop Stars such as Sarkodie, Nasty C, Sean Tizzle, Olamide, Duncan Mighty, Diamond Platnumz and many more. He signed a deal with the RCA record label and has also signed an MTN ambassador deal worth well over $1.1 Millon, Davido also makes money from events/shows, endorsements and local and international tours, he charges between $5,000 -$13,000 per show for bookings and up to $500 for appearances at local events, shows and concerts.
Davido’s present estimated net worth stands at an impressive $15 Million.
So who is the richest and biggest of the two? this is a debate which has been going on amongst their fans for sometime but most would agree that with regard to whose got the biggest bank balance, Davido shades it and has got more than your boy Wizzy however in terms of popularity and name recognition the jury is still out. Wizkid seems to be more well known on the international scene especially in the UK and USA mainly because of his attendance at high profile concerts such as the Wireless Music Festival and 02 Arena. However in Nigeria and to many of the Hardcore Afropop fans Davido is the bigger Fish and has the most popular hits.
